5 Top New Movies and Shows to Watch This Week on Netflix, More (December 22-26)
The second-to-last week of December might be good for getting holly and jolly, but it’s not the best time for the premieres of new and returning TV shows.
Netflix, Prime Video, Hulu and more are largely mum this week to accommodate the holiday — thankfully, there are still some great movies hitting streaming platforms.
If you’re all out of new shows to binge, Watch With Us is here for you. We’ve got a list of the best 2025 movies that you can watch with your family after opening presents.
Our picks include a riveting journalism documentary, Cover-Up, on Netflix, and the year’s best horror, Sinners, on Prime Video.
New Movies and Shows on Netflix, Prime Video, HBO Max and More in December 2025
‘Cover-Up’ (2025) — Netflix
Esteemed investigative journalist Seymour Hersch has been working in United States political journalism for decades, exposing corruption, scandals and war crimes such as the My Lai Massacre during the Vietnam War and Abu Ghraib during the Iraq War. Directors Laura Poitras and Mark Obenhaus sit down with the hesitant Hersch and gain exclusive access to his archives in this fascinating documentary that paints a revealing portrait of journalistic responsibility.
Though not without his failings (which the documentary admirably doesn’t whitewash), Cover-Up is a compelling look at a man who spent his career committed to revealing the truths about history and about the United States. Ultimately, in the hands of a capable documentary director like Poitras, this is a match made in heaven, and Cover-Up is a thought-provoking treat for fans of movies like All the President’s Men and Spotlight.
Stream Cover-Up on December 26.
‘Strange Harvest’ (2025) — Hulu
This true crime mockumentary-style horror film is set in California and charts the investigation by two detectives of the reemergence of a sadistic serial killer known as Mr. Shiny. Previously having terrorized the Inland Empire area of Los Angeles twenty years prior, Mr. Shiny returns and leaves a bloody trail and cryptic clues in his wake. The gruesome crimes, occult in nature, tie the killer to a strange, supernatural force that might be more than just smoke and mirrors.
Receiving favorable comparisons by critics to movies like The Blair Witch Project, Lake Mungo and The Poughkeepsie Tapes, Strange Harvest has been hailed as a fantastic send-up of true-crime docs that is also a genuinely effective horror film. While your mileage may vary on the acting and the ambitions of the climax, Strange Harvest is, on the whole, a taut and disturbing occult murder yarn.
Stream Strange Harvest on December 23.
‘A Minecraft Movie’ (2025) — Amazon Prime Video
Chicken Jockey, anyone? One of the year’s biggest movies is hitting Prime Video this week, for anyone who missed the calm and easygoing experience of seeing A Minecraft Movie in theaters. When a mysterious portal to a land known as the Overworld opens up on Earth, four outcasts named Garrett (Jason Momoa), Natalie (Emma Myers), Henry (Sebastian Hansen) and Dawn (Danielle Brooks) are sucked into the strange, cubic land, where they’ll need the help of a man named Steve (Jack Black) to escape.
Mixed reviews from critics didn’t stop A Minecraft Movie from smashing records at the box office, with plans for a sequel already well underway. In the end, the movie was mostly for fans of Minecraft, and fans of Minecraft found the film to be a suitable adaptation of one of their favorite games, with well-executed fan service, solid humor, great performances from the cast and a generally fun, light-hearted vibe.
‘Sinners’ (2025) — Amazon Prime Video
In 1930s Mississippi, gangster twin brothers Elijah “Smoke” and Elias “Stack” Moore (a dual role for Michael B. Jordan) return home after their eventful stint in Chicago looking to open up a juke joint. While both are suddenly forced to confront the pasts that they left behind when they went away, the Moore brothers have a bit more to worry about than old flames and broken families. As the blues sounds carry from Club Juke, an ancient entity (Jack O’Connell) finds himself heading towards the music.
Sinners’ ambitious, original genre hybrid was met with apprehension in the weeks leading up to its release, but that all changed when it hit theaters. Audiences couldn’t get enough of Ryan Coogler’s sumptuous blend of horror, action, Western and musical numbers packed into a wildly entertaining and visually stunning film about assimilation, spirituality and self-determination in the Jim Crow era. As it stands, Sinners is currently a top contender to take home Best Picture at the upcoming Academy Awards ceremony.
Stream Sinners on December 26.
‘Ne Zha 2’ (2025) — HBO Max
The highest-grossing film of 2025 is this adult animated Chinese fantasy sequel to the popular 2019 film Ne Zha. Ne Zha 2 was acquired by A24 and released with an English dub in August 2025, with a voice cast that included Michelle Yeoh. While you should probably brush up on the first film before you dig into it, you have a lot to look forward to. Ne Zha I2 was highly praised by critics for its high entertainment value and incredible visuals, while still being a heartwarming and mature story that transcends any conceptions of being a cash grab sequel.
5 New Movies and TV Shows You Need to Watch in December 2025
Ne Zha 2 picks up directly where Ne Zha left off, with the story based on the 16th-century novel Investiture of the Gods. It follows the mythic Chinese character Ne Zha (Crystal Lee and Griffin Puatu) and his friend, Ao Bing (Aleks Le), who were struck by a lightning bolt that destroyed their bodies. While Ne Zha’s soul is saved in a new body, Ao Bing’s must be carried with him. However, the spirit of Ao Bing is instrumental in defeating a powerful enemy.
